The Los Angeles Business Council's 40th Annual Architecture Awards were just announced, and Inhabitat was on the scene to scope out some of the city's most incredible architectural marvels! Unlike other architecture awards that are decided upon by architects like the Gold Medal and the Pritzker Prize, the LABC awards are decided by a local jury that includes city officials, contractors, and developers. Surprisingly, a large cross-section of the jurors' selections are not only sustainable, but feature public spaces that engage the surrounding communities. Click through our gallery to see Inhabitat's top sustainable picks from the LABC's 40th Annual Architecture Awards!

The honorable Anthony Villaraigosa, mayor of Los Angeles, was on hand at the awards, noting that as a major metropolitan city, Los Angeles contains more LEED certified buildings than other similarly sized cities in the US. While it is hard to say where he’s getting his information, the LABC’s awards are testament to the wide variety of sustainable buildings that are popping-up around the city. Hopefully this is a trend that only continues to increase over time.